A modern application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) must meet very stringent design and performance specifications. Two factors that influence the design and performance of an ASIC are power supply inductance and signal cross talk. Typically, it is desirable to minimize the inductance in the power supply network as well as reduce signal to signal cross talk in the signal distribution network. Minimizing inductance improves the impedance of the power distribution network, and increasing signal isolation reduces cross talk between signal paths. A modern ASIC is typically assembled into a package, which is then mounted to a structure, such as a printed circuit board, using one of a number of known mounting techniques. The ASIC package typically includes a signal distribution structure that is sometimes referred to as an interposer or interposer structure. The interposer structure is generally located between the ASIC chip and a package interconnect. The package interconnect generally includes a laminate core and one or more material layers on opposing sides of the core that include conductive traces and that are used to distribute power, to route signals and to provide ground connections for both power and signal connections. The package interconnect, sometimes referred to as the package substrate, is typically located between the interposer structure and the PCB to distribute power and signals between the interposer structure and the PCB. Due to the many power and signal connections in a modern ASIC, inductance between power supply and ground connections, and the cross talk between signal lines can easily become so large that it negatively affects the performance of the ASIC.
Therefore, it would be desirable to have a way of minimizing power supply inductance and minimize signal to signal cross talk in an ASIC.